Tennent's Stout doesn't come close to revolutionizing the
style or raising the bar. It is what is is: a
slightly above average mainstream stout offered at the very
competitive price that publicly traded conglomerates can
pull off because they brew at great economies of scale.

Avg price/liter: USD 5.91

ABV %: 4.7

Type: Stout

Aging doesn't take you far in
Hollywood, where one is wont to take a decade of his or her
age as a matter of custom. In the beer world, on the
other hand, the older the better, and every brewery, if it
could, would love to add a century to their age.

Tennent Caledonian, like many
an 'old' brewery, plays fast and loose with the figures.
On their web site and on their labels, you'll see reference
to the Wellpark site in Glasgow, Scotland UK where the brewery is
located. "Since 1556." Technically, that is
true. There has been a brewery at Wellpark
since 1556. There hasn't been a Tennant's. On
Tennant's web site's timeline, there is one reference to
1556, a very tenuous one whereby the ancestors of founder
Hugh Tennent, began working as maltmen and brewers at
Wellpark.

1884 or 1885 is the true
origins of this brewery, old but not as old as they would
have you believe. Tennent's, now part of the publicly
traded C & C Group, is also not some family-owned brewery
any longer. They're part of a system which sells,
manufacturers, and distributes multinational beer.

Which doesn't, by default,
make Tennent a crappy brewery. Tennents
milk stout is an acceptable entrant to the stout
market. That means this stout contains lactose, a
sugar derived from milk, which adds sweetness and calories
to the end result. It doesn't come close to revolutionizing the
style or raising the beer bar. It is what is is: a
slightly above average mainstream stout offered at the very
competitive price that publicly traded conglomerates can
pull off because they brew at great economies of scale.

If you were in a pub anywhere
in the world and you had the choice between ordering
Tennant's Stout or any other brand you'd never heard of, I'd
advise you to broaden your horizons and check out the other
brand. But that's me. You could be the sort who
just wants to sip a tried and true stout beer, and for that, Tennent's is here for you ... no matter how old or young
they really are.